Durham police bodycam footage of officers catching escaped kangaroo

Durham Regional Police have released body cam footage of responding officers successfully capturing a runaway kangaroo after it escaped from its handler in Oshawa late last week.

Police say the female kangaroo was spotted by officers with the K9 unit around 3 a.m. on Monday near Wilson and Winchester roads and then was apprehended around 6 a.m. after it had “stopped to take a little break.”

The animal was in transit to Quebec when its delivery driver stopped at the Oshawa Zoo on Thursday, Nov. 30, to let them “stretch their legs,” where one kangaroo managed to flee.

Authorities say that over two minutes of body cam footage was released on Tuesday due to the high interest in the unusual incident.

“Over the last three days, the escaped kangaroo has hopped into the hearts of many – all hoping for her safe return,” a police spokesperson wrote in a news release.

“The entire incident was not recorded – currently, officers are not required to activate their cameras for interactions with kangaroos as per the DRPS directive (currently under roo-view). This camera recording of the kangaroo was triggered when she nudged one of the responding officers.”

Officers stayed with the kangaroo after she was spotted on Monday morning and captured the runaway animal by grabbing her tail, which they claimed was the “safest, most effective way to secure her.”

Police say the officers who found the kangaroo contacted the animal’s handler when they located it. The marsupial was returned to the zoo, examined and will make a full recovery.

Officers were not injured during the rescue, despite conflicting reports suggesting one member was punched in the face.

A police spokesperson said the kangaroo, who does not have a name, has been made an honorary member of the K9 Unit.

“Combining the names of the two officers who rescued her, DRPS welcomes Police Service’ Roo’ Emy May,'” they wrote in a news release.

The Toronto Zoo’s CEO raised the alarm about “roadside zoos” in the wake of the Oshawa kangaroo incident.

Dolf DeJong told CityNews in an interview that his first reaction when he heard the animal was on the loose was “grave concern.”

“It’s a highly urban environment; [the kangaroo] is going to be in a challenging scenario just to survive the natural world, with the weather,” he said. “And then the public safety concern comes into it.”

The Toronto Zoo and World Animal Protection Canada said accredited zoos have procedures and systems in place to minimize the risk of animals escaping.

The Oshawa Zoo, where the kangaroo’s handler stopped to let the animal out, is not accredited and was one of 11 zoos profiled by World Animal Protection Canada in 2022.